Sofia Salgado is the Executive Director for Southwestern College’s Office of Advancement & Community Engagement which includes marketing, communications, development/foundation, alumni relations, and special events. Their mission is to develop and deliver resources for student needs through trusted stewardship of charitable giving and meaningful community partnerships. She leads the department’s strategic planning, marketing, and operations efforts to promote student success.
Previously, Sofia was the Executive Director for MANA de San Diego, a non-profit Latina organization that empowers Latinas through education, leadership development, community service and advocacy. After 34 years in existence, Sofia became their first Executive Director and under her leadership, MANA de San Diego was awarded the “2018 Chapter of the Year” by MANA National headquartered in Washington, DC. Other achievements for the organization include the 2017 FBI Director’s Award for Community Leadership and the 2015 Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
Before joining MANA de San Diego, Sofia was the Community Affairs Manager for KSWB/Channel 5 and KGTV/ABC10 where she positioned and marketed the stations as leaders in the areas of local issues such as education and the diversity of the San Diego region. She created and implemented projects that made a measurable difference in the community as well as promoted the television stations as upstanding corporate citizens. Sofia’s biggest accomplishment was creating and overseeing the KSWB Cares for Kids charitable fund which granted more than $18 million to local children’s charities during her tenure.
A daughter of immigrant parents, Sofia was born and raised in El Centro, CA and is a first-generation college graduate of UC San Diego, where she earned a B.A. in Communications. She and her husband, Jim, have 18-year-old twins, Daniel, and Olivia.
Sofia has a long history of involvement in the community. Her community service and recognitions include the following:
- Network of California Community College Foundations, 2021-present
- UC San Diego Chancellor’s Advisory Board, 2021-present
- MANA National Board of Directors, 2021-2023
- San Diego Business Journal Latino Leaders of Influence, 2023
- San Diego Mayor’s Latinx Advisory Council, 2019-2022
- San Diego Business Journal Nonprofit Leader of the Year, 2022
- San Diego State University’s President’s Latinx Advisory Council, 2019-2021
- LEAD San Diego Graduate of the Year, 2020
- MANA de San Diego President’s Award, 2020
- University of San Diego’s Pat Libby Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership, 2019
- Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s Women of the Year Award, 2019
- UC San Diego Cesar Chavez Award, 2019
- Hispanic Lifestyle’s “Latinas of Influence” Award, 2019
- Featured in UCSD’s “She Who Inspires-Philanthropic Women Changing the World from San Diego,” 2019
- Harvard Business School Club of San Diego Non-Profit Development Program, 2014
